3. Shane Prince
Forward – Binghamton Senators — 2011 2nd round pick (Ottawa Senators)
AHL 5foot10 190lbs
Written June 22nd:
A pick in the same year as Matt Puempel, the Senators have two quality prospects in Puempel and Prince who could play in an NHL’s top 6 and relatively soon.
Prince had an outstanding AHL season, which is what ranks him ahead of Puempel. After being a 2nd round pick in 2011, Prince has had 3 professional seasons, displaying improvement in each of them. This season was the first year he really took a step forward as he recorded 65 points in 72 games.
Those are numbers similar to recent BSens graduates, Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone. Prince’s numbers also gained him recognition from the AHL as he was named to the AHL’s all star team this season. Prince saw a call-up to the NHL, where he recorded his 1st point and did not look out of sorts at the national league level.
Moving forward, Prince projects as a 2nd line scorer. It was nice to see him take the next step at the AHL this season as it proves that Prince is still a legitimate prospect after a few shaky seasons. Look for Prince to compete for the NHL roster as early as this year.